President Donald Trump announced Thursday that U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, one of two West Virginia National Guard members shot near the White House on Wednesday, has died. Trump made the announcement while speaking with military personnel on Thanksgiving, calling Beckstrom “a highly respected, young, magnificent person” and saying she had “just passed away.” The other wounded guard member, Andrew Wolfe, 24, remained in critical condition.
The shooting occurred around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday near the Farragut West Metro station. U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said the suspect, identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, allegedly drove cross-country from Washington state to target the guardsmen and opened fire with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver. Pirro described the attack as an ambush in which one guardsman was shot, struck again while down, and another guardsman was hit several times. Other National Guard members quickly responded; a guard member shot the suspect and others helped subdue him.
Pirro, posting on social media after Trump’s announcement, said, “Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom of the National Guard — a hero who volunteered to serve DC on Thanksgiving for people she never met and gave the ultimate sacrifice,” and called for justice. Brig. Gen. Leland D. Blanchard II, commander of the D.C. National Guard, spoke emotionally about the toll on the families.
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey visited the wounded at a Washington hospital Wednesday night and told ABC affiliate WJLA the guardsmen had volunteered for the mission in the capital. Morrisey said he spoke with the president and administration officials about the investigation and urged a thorough inquiry and accountability.
Officials offered more detail on the suspect Thursday. Pirro said Lakanwal is an Afghan national who, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, came to the U.S. in 2021. Law enforcement sources told ABC News he applied for asylum in 2024 and was granted asylum in April of this year under the Trump administration. CIA Director John Ratcliffe said Lakanwal “previously worked with the USG, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar that ended in 2021 following the withdrawal from Afghanistan.”
FBI Director Kash Patel described the probe as an “ongoing investigation of terrorism,” saying investigators received confirmation from the Department of Defense and CIA that the suspect had a relationship in Afghanistan with partner forces. Authorities searched Lakanwal’s home in Bellingham, Washington, and conducted interviews with tenants and others; Patel said additional interviews were taking place in San Diego. The suspect has a wife and five children, officials said.
Pirro said Lakanwal will be charged with multiple counts, including assault with intent to harm and criminal possession of a weapon, though charges could change depending on the victims’ conditions. Officials said the suspect’s motive remained unclear.
Trump, who was at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida for Thanksgiving, called the shooting an “act of hatred” in a video statement Wednesday and ordered a reexamination of Afghan immigrants admitted under the Biden administration. He also ordered an additional 500 Guard troops to be deployed to Washington. The National Guard had been assigned to the capital as part of Trump’s federal takeover and crime crackdown, with 2,188 Guard personnel reportedly serving in D.C. at the time of the shooting.
ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway and Alex Presha contributed to this report.
